


Brothers United

by WeezlBot



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan, The Trials of Apollo - Rick Riordan
Genre: Brotherly Love, Crying, Gen, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-22
Updated: 2019-06-22
Packaged: 2020-05-16 17:38:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19322944
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WeezlBot/pseuds/WeezlBot
Summary: Travis is returning to Camp Half-Blood after his first year at college. Things have happened in his absence. His little brother has been especially affected.





	Brothers United

**Author's Note:**

> Takes place the summer after TOA. Canon compliant up to TBM as I am cursed with the inability to tell the future. Really only T-rated because I swear so much in my fics.

“... I’m so sorry I missed all of that,” Travis exclaimed, eyes wide in shock.

Chiron sighed and shook his head. “Don’t blame yourself. A lot of people missed it. It’s okay. However, there is one other person who…”

“Connor,” Travis gasped. “Connor. Is he okay?”

“He is fine. Well… not really.”

Travis’s heart splashed into his stomach. “What happened to him? Is he… where is he? I don’t care if he’s a vegetable or something, just tell me where he is!”

“He’s in the Hermes cabin. No, he’s not a vegetable. It’s just… with communications down for so long…”

“I know! I worried myself sick. I was hospitalized for a breakdown and couldn’t even tell them what was wrong!”

Chiron nodded solemnly. “Your brother was in a similar spot. He… he got so… I mean, his whole _personality_ changed. He just looked like a broken man. It was terrible.”

Travis’s eyes burned. “I… can I go see him?”

Chiron nodded. “Go.”

Travis ran. He ran for the Hermes cabin. He ran for his brother.

 

Connor was sitting crosslegged on his bunk in the Hermes cabin, halfheartedly eating crackers. His stomach was turning flips in his belly. Travis had told him that he would be coming home that day, but he was an hour late, and it made Connor want to puke from fright.

There was a knock on the door. Connor jolted. _Okay. Don’t get your hopes up. It could just be Cecil or one of the girls._ He rose up, his butterflies turning into a vicious pain, and opened the door slowly.

Two almost identical faces looked at each other from either side of the doorframe.

A sob inadvertently escaped Connor’s mouth as they pulled each other into a bearhug, Travis pushing his way into the cabin and holding Connor tightly in his arms as he leaned against the doorframe. Connor nested his head in Travis’s shoulder and tried to bite back the sobs that choked in his throat.

“Hey… it’s okay,” Travis whispered. “I’m home. It’s okay.” _I love you. Godsdammit, I’d kill for you right now. I’m so happy you’re okay._

Connor swallowed. “... You’re okay.” He tried to make it sound brave and happy and steady, but it came out as a weak sobbing sound.

Travis nodded. “I’m okay. I’m okay. See? I’m right here. I’m here. Just take a breath. It’s okay.”

Connor heaved a breath. “Don’t… please don’t leave again.” His voice broke.

Travis’s eyes welled. “... I don’t know how I can take you with me when I go back for the fall semester, Con-con.”

Connor sniffled. “Don’t Con-con me! And you’ll… _we’ll_ find a way. We always find a way.”

Travis nodded. “Don’t get upset. Maybe… maybe this semester… this fall, winter and spring will be normal.”

Connor gasped and hiccuped. “... I don’t want to assume anything.”

Travis squoze him tightly and buried his face in the side of Connor’s head. For the first time in his life, he wished he were mortal. A pair of mortal brothers wouldn’t need to worry about never seeing each other again after one of them left for college. “... It’s okay,” he whispered, his lips right next to Connor’s ear.

“For these three months, at least.” Connor’s voice quavered.

“Yeah.” Travis felt a tear trickle down his cheek. “Yeah. It’s okay for now.” He didn’t dare let go of Connor, not when he was clinging to him so tightly. Poor Connor had needed him this whole time, and he couldn’t be there for him. He didn’t think he could ever forgive himself for that.

Connor pulled his face away slightly, but didn’t loosen his grip. He saw the mess of tears and snot that he’d left on Travis’s sweatshirt and shame coiled in his gut. “... I’m sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it, Con-con.” Travis’s voice was shaky. “See, I’m crying too.”

Connor looked up to see the lone tear on Travis’s cheek. “Wipe that off.”

Travis squoze him and chuckled despite himself. “... That’s my Con-con.” He wiped his eyes on his sleeve and patted Connor’s back.

Connor gave Travis another tight hug and pulled away, wiping the mess on his face away with his sleeve. “Don’t you fucking dare tell anyone about that- that spell.”

“The crying? ‘Course not, buddy. You have my word that I won’t tell anyone that you care about me.”

“Does that apply to me too?” came a voice from behind Connor.

Connor whirled. “Markowitz! What the hell are you doing here?”

“I live here.”

“No, I mean… when the hell did you get here?”

“Before Travis. So am I not allowed to tell anyone you were crying?”

Connor’s face burned. “... I’d rather you not.”

Cecil nodded. “Understood. Also, Travis! Welcome home!”

Travis laughed. “Thanks, Cecil.” He sniffled. “Thanks. Sorry for… sorry for all the emotions.”

Cecil nodded. “Nah, it’s cool. Anything for you, bro, anything for you.”

“You want a hug?” Travis asked.

“Sure, buddy,” Cecil chuckled. They gave each other a quick backpatting hug and pulled away.

“Hey, are your teeth still fucked?” Travis asked.

Cecil revealed his oversized, crooked front teeth to Travis. “I wouldn’t say they’re that far fucked, really, but to each their own, I suppose.”

“They’re a little fucked, dude,” Travis admitted.

Cecil rolled his eyes. “Yeah, whatever. I’d rather have buckteeth than braces.”

“In your words, to each their own,” Travis snorted.

“Right. Anyway… it’s great to have you home. Connor was worried sick, especially when comms went down.”

Travis nodded and patted Connor’s shoulder with a gentle hand. “Yeah. Yeah.” He looked back and forth between his brothers. “... Is my bed still available, or did some newbie move in?”

“No, no newbies. We kept your bed open,” Connor murmured.

Travis grinned. “Damn. That’s a miracle if I’ve ever seen one.”

Connor giggled softly. “Mhm.”

Travis chuckled and flung his backpack on his bed, the bunk right above Connor’s. He pulled his sweatshirt off and hung it on the bunk pole. “No, seriously, thanks, man.”

“You’re welco- is that permanent?” Connor asked, poking a small drawing of seven bells wrapped around a staff on Travis’s bicep.

“Yeah. Hot classmate said I would look better if I got a bicep tattoo. She lasted two weeks, this’ll last forever. Don’t wish to discuss further.”

“Oof.” Cecil shook his head. “Yeah. Don’t make any permanent changes for any chick you’ve known less than… like… six months.”

“Yeah. I’m just glad she didn’t ask me to get into bodymodding, or invest every cent I’ve ever owned in a failing business venture…”

“... Or join a cult…”

“Right, Connor. Or join a cult.” Travis chuckled and patted Connor’s shoulder again, almost as if to reassure himself that he was here, home, with his brother at his side. “Hey, what about you, Con-con? Would you want to get a tattoo?”

Connor leaned into the touch. “... Maybe. I don’t know.”

“I would,” Cecil volunteered. “I’d get a fuckin’ giant snake going all down my arm. Boa constrictor and shit.”

“Just to freak out the Apollo cabin, or…”

“Mostly Will, but yeah.”

“Got it,” Travis laughed. He flopped down on Connor’s bed, moving his box of crackers out of the way first. He pointed to the box. “May I have some?”

“Of course,” Connor said. His voice sounded a little sniffly. “Take as many as you want. There’s spray cheese in my footlocker.”

Travis put a cracker in his mouth and chewed it. “Hey… are you feeling a little better?”

Connor nodded and sat next to Travis on his bed. “... Maybe a little.”

Travis nodded. “I’m glad.” He patted Connor’s back. “Chiron told me how… how bad you’d been. I’m sorry.”

Connor stared at the worn white sheets. “... It wasn’t your fault.”

Travis sighed out and stared at the bunk slats above him. “... But I left you alone.”

“I know. But… you had to do it.” Connor’s eyes burned. “One of us… one of us needs an education at least.”

“I’m gonna get you into school. I’m gonna take a year off next year and prep you for college. We’ll go together,” Travis babbled, the idea blasting through his head as he said it.

“... Really?” Connor gasped. He looked more excited than he’d been since Travis had told him he was leaving for college.

“... Sure. Chiron will help us,” Travis managed.

Fresh tears poured from Connor’s eyes. “... Are you sure?”

“I can damn well try,” Travis forced.

“Please try!” Connor grabbed Travis’s arm in desperation.

“I will,” Travis soothed. “I will.” He extended his arms and Connor lay down in them, just like they had when they were little kids. Connor buried his face in Travis’s neck.

At the other end of the room, Cecil shifted his feet. “Should I give you and Connor some space, or…”

“That’d be nice,” Travis murmured, running his hand through Connor’s thick brown curls. “Yeah, that’d be nice.”

Cecil nodded and left the cabin. “I’ll be harassing Will in the infirmary if you need me.”

“Have fun,” Travis sighed, rubbing circles on Connor’s back. He turned over and brought Connor against his chest, never once moving his hand from Connor’s hair. He didn’t care if his arm went numb, if his brother needed a cuddle, he’d cuddle him.

Connor melted into Travis’s chest. There was something… off about Travis, something that had changed when he went away to college. He was different now, somehow. Connor couldn’t place it.

He looked up just enough to see Travis’s arm and ran his finger over his tattoo again, touching each little bell in turn before tracing his finger down the staff. “Hey… do you _like_ this tattoo? I know you got it because some floozy said you’d look good with a tattoo but… do _you_ like it?”

“Is that all you can think about right now?” Travis murmured, his voice muffled by Connor’s hair.

“... I… I guess so.”

“... I like it enough,” Travis agreed gently. “I like it enough.”

“Okay,” Connor mumbled sleepily. “As long as you’re happy.”

“Wow, that’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me,” Travis joked.

“Shut the fuck up,” Connor mumbled.


End file.
